Arriving at the Summit: Day Three
Day 3: The Beautiful Exchange
Devotional
There's a beautiful asymmetry in the exchange between God and humanity. When we bless God, we simply acknowledge what is already true about Him. But when God blesses us, He transforms us into something we are not and gives us what we do not have. This profound truth is captured in Ephesians 1:3, where Paul writes that God "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing." Notice the direction: God initiates blessing toward us. He doesn't need our blessing to be complete, but we desperately need His to become whole. When God blesses us, He doesn't merely affirm what's already true—He creates new realities. He takes sinners and declares them righteous. He takes the spiritually dead and makes them alive. He takes strangers and adopts them as children. This is why the final verse of Psalm 134 is so powerful: "May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!" The same God who created everything that exists now turns His creative power toward us, blessing us with what we could never achieve on our own. In response, we bless God—not by adding anything to Him, but by declaring His greatness and thanking Him for His gifts. Our praise doesn't improve God, but it does fulfill our purpose and align our hearts with reality. Today, participate in this beautiful exchange. Receive God's transformative blessing with gratitude, and respond by blessing His name with praise.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
- Ephesians 1:3
Reflection Question
What specific blessings has God given you that you could never have achieved or earned on your own, and how might acknowledging these gifts fuel your worship?
“For us, to bless God is to acknowledge what he is.
But to bless man, God must make of him what he is not and give him what he has not.”
— Pastor Mike Mura
Prayer
God of all blessing, thank You for giving me what I could never earn or deserve. You've transformed me by Your grace, making me something I could never become on my own. Help me respond with genuine praise that acknowledges Your greatness. Amen.